A collection of fics
by ButterflyMouse
Summary: I'm of the somewhat biased opinion that there really isn't enough Ober fanfic in the world, so I've decided to upload my writing comp entries here as well. Each chapter will be a different competition entry.
1. Chapter 1: Silent

Well, I decided that I want to upload my writing comp entries up here as well, mainly because I'm of the opinion that there's just not enough Ober fiction in the world. So each chapter of this story will be an entry to a different competition.

* * *

**Silent**

Summary: Jow's point of view before Elspeth enters the room in the scene where the Druid misfits help her contact Matthew and Domik.

* * *

Waiting in Saul's kitchen, we were silent. Not just audibly, we rarely spoke aloud when we could help it, but mentally also. We had already revealed ourselves to the strangers, already figured out our plans; all that was left now was to wait.

Everyone was tense, lidgebaby was in danger. His and our safety lay in the hands of a person we had never met, the latter part was about to change, but we might not like the result. I of course had extra concerns, but I kept those to myself. Sharing them would do nothing, save worry the others further.

The girl was a liar.

I knew that even without Ariel's claims about Obernewtyn. Gilaine had told us that she knew Daffyd and that he knew she was a misfit.  
My brother had once spoken of a girl named Elspeth, he had said she was to be charged as a misfit. It was soon after lidgebaby had been born that he told me, he was musing on the irony. But she had been a land girl, an orphan, not a gypsy.

I sighed. She was hiding something, she was untrustworthy and yet we still had to place our faith in her. This was a large risk we were making, a larger risk than the others had counted on, but it was a risk we had to take. Her presence and those of her friends were the greater threat.

Telling the others would only increase their anxiety, nothing more. So I remained silent.

A twinge in the back of my mind heralded Saul's entrance and I looked up to appraise the girl who held our fate in her hands.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sutrium Times

**The Sutrium Times: Gossip Column**

Summary: A gossip collumn by a reporter after Rita Skeeter's own heart. Do you know what really happened?

* * *

Good morning fellow Luddites! Kessa O'Reilly here with your weekly gossip fix!  
First things first. As I'm sure you all know, the ship which was being built to travel to the West Coast was recently sabotaged. We have of course been informed that this burning is connected to the destruction of the ships on the night of the rebellion and was conducted by pro-councilist activists. Yet this reporter knows better.  
To protect informants, I can not name names; however I can tell you the truth. By the docks of Sutrium, lives an old man who is long estranged from his bondmate. The woman lives on the West Coast and he loathes her bitterly. Learning that the West Coast was cut off from the land, he rejoiced, believing that he would never have to see her again. He was dismayed to find out that our leaders intended to extend the rebellion to the rest of the land and set about to stop it. It was he that burned the ship, not to help the council, but to ensure that he never had to meet his bondmate again. Truly it is strange the lengths some people will go to.  
In addition, there have been reports since before the rebellion, that the fish of the Suggredoon glow in the light of the evening. There has been much speculation as to the cause of this and I can now confirm the answer. It has become apparent that the fish come from underwater caves further up the river, where they subsist almost exclusively on glow worms. The luminous substance of the worms is absorbed into the fish's system, transferring the capacity to glow. Experts are still speculating as to why the fish decided to migrate down stream. One thing, however, is certain; this tendency to glow makes for easy fishing, so get down to the river and catch yourself a bite to eat!  
Finally, I have it on good authority that Brydda Llewellyn, right hand man of our very own chieftain, has made frequent trips from the city at regular intervals since a month after the rebellion. Always, he heads along the road which leads to Berrioc, Kinraide and Rangorn. Always, he is away for two nights. No more, no less. Could the man be meeting a secret lover? Only time, and the observations of dedicated gossip-holics like yourselves will tell.  
That's all for this week, but remember; if you see anything you find interesting, or out of place, you can let me know via the main headquarters of the Sutrium Times.  
May you live long and gossip!


	3. Chapter 3: Snow White and Rose Red

**Snow White and Rose Red**

Summary: Snow-White and Rose-Red is one of the fairly tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, this version was re-written by Jak for the West Coast misfits. Bears no relation whatsoever to Snow White and the seven dwarfs (although it may explain the random bear that shows up in Snow White the fairest of them all).

* * *

Once, long ago, in the Beforetime, there lived a woman and her two daughters. Exiled for their beastspeaking talent, they were sent far away from the grand civilizations of their people and into the wilderness.  
The woman's first child was quiet of spirit, with skin as pure as fresh fallen snow. The girl's sister on the other hand, was an adventurous lass with cheeks forever flushed with excitement. Their names were Snow-White and Rose-Red.  
In spite of their differences, the twins were very close. They almost always held hands and neither would ever be parted from the other. Although they lived alone, their talents meant that they were never lonely. All of the animals were their friends. They ran races with deer, chatted with squirrels and played games with the sparrows.  
One night, after they had locked the door and were sitting by the fire, they heard a knock at the entrance to the cottage.  
Rose-Red hastened to open it, despite her mother's warning, thinking that it must be a traveller caught out in the cold. However this was not quite the case. When Rose- Red opened the door, she was shocked to discover a bear on the other side, but before she could panic the bear said to her;  
"Please don't be afraid, I mean you no harm, I'm half frozen out here, please let me warm myself by your fire"  
"Oh, you poor thing," said the mother. "You must be so very cold out there, lie down by the fire, you'll warm up in no time"  
The bear came inside and the children curled beside him as he slept by the hearth, he truly did seem to mean no harm.  
When daylight came Snow-White unlatched the door again and the bear ran out into the sun with her and her sister. From then on, the bear was a permanent addition to the family and they never latched the cottage door until he was safely within.  
Yet this could not last. When the ground outside had thawed and the trees burst with green once more the bear told Snow-White that he would not return that evening nor any other till the summer had passed.  
Snow-White cried. "Where are you going?" she wondered.  
"Into the forest to guard my treasures" he answered. "All autumn and winter my enemy has been trapped indoors by the cold, but now that the air is warm he is free to walk the Earth. My treasures must not be without protection and so I must leave. I will return when the summer is over."  
Snow-White waved him off sadly as he ran out of sight, then went in once more to tell her mother and sister of what had passed.  
One day, whilst the girls were collecting fire wood in the forest, they came across a dwarf with his beard stuck in a log. He seemed quite distressed and they rushed forward to see if they could help. Yet no matter how hard they tried, they could no more free the beard than the dwarf had been able. Seeing his distress, Rose-Red did the only thing she could think of and, withdrawing her scissors from her dress pocket, she snipped off the end of the beard; freeing the dwarf.

However, instead of being grateful he became very angry and yelled at them. "You stupid children!" he screamed, "How dare you damage my beautiful beard! You'll pay for this, you most certainly will!" he screamed, advancing on the girls threateningly.

They stepped back, frightened, but before the dwarf could harm them a snarl ripped from the trees and the bear came to their rescue, striking the dwarf down with one swipe of his paw. Snow-White and Rose-Red were quite relieved, but not for long, for as soon as they looked up, the bear was gone and in his place stood another man.

They screamed, but he begged them to calm themselves and allow him to explain.

The man was a prince from the land where their mother had come from. His father had detested misfits and exiled them from the country. The dwarf was a powerful coercer and he too had been exiled. However, as the prince grew up, it became apparent that he too was a coercer, albeit much weaker. The king could hardly banish his own son and so the prince had been allowed to stay.

This made the dwarf angry and bitter and one day he snuck back into the country and took control of the prince's coercion talent, so that he would automatically coerce everyone he met into thinking he was a bear. The only way to undo the process was to kill the dwarf, but the prince was a pacifist and believed only in killing in self defence or the defence of those you loved so instead he ran.

When he met the girls he realised that there were others with talents who had managed to live happily and that they too might be at risk of the dwarf's wrath. He took comfort in the fact that the dwarf's arthritis would keep him indoors for the winter, but when summer came he knew he had to keep an eye on the dwarf in order to protect his treasured friends.

The prince explained that the dwarf had not always been bad, but that his soul had become corrupted over the mistreatment he had received. As such, what had transpired was the King's fault just as much as the dwarf's and the prince would make sure that such a thing should never happen again. He would allow all the misfits to return to his kingdom.

The girls were very happy that the prince was free from his curse and that misfits were no longer banned from their mother's country. They returned there with her and the prince and when they grew up, Snow-White married the prince, and Rose-Red, his brother.

And so it was that they lived Happily. Ever. After.

The End.


	4. Chapter 4: Out for the Count

**Out for the Count  
**

Summary: This is the tale of one of Obernewtyn's darkest hours, when Elspeth has been found in the same coma like state as Rushton. How will our Healers react at the discovery? And can we forgive them for moving Elspeth? (That always really annoyed me ... )

* * *

"Oh Elspeth," I whispered, leaning into the door frame where I stood.  
She slept on the bed by Rushton, her head curled into the crook of his neck and his hand grasped firmly in her own. They looked so peaceful together I almost forgot the grave reality pressing in.

I'd long since given up my anger at being forced back from Sutrium, Elspeth had clearly been just as worried about Rushton as I was about Domik – and with good reason. At least there was still hope for Domik. If nothing else, I had to keep faith with that. There was still hope for Domik.

Sighing, I entered the room as quietly as possible and tried not to disturb Elspeth as I checked Rushton's pulse. Lud knows she needed the sleep. I would wake her if . . . if . . . I had to force myself to finish the thought . . . if it looked like he was about to pass. Considering the amount his heart had slowed, it wouldn't be long now.

I took down Rushton's temperature and was about to check his breathing, but jumped when someone in a ward further down the hall began screaming in pain._ Probably one of the soldierguards_, I murmured to myself as I hastened to shut the door and muffle the sound.

Turning back to the bed, I was surprised to note that Elspeth had not stirred. She was just as still as Rushton. My skin crawled with apprehension. I knew she hadn't had nearly enough sleep lately, but the screams had been so loud you'd have to have been in a coma not to . . .

I crossed the room again and laid a hand on Elspeth's shoulder.

" Elspeth, " I shook her gently, "Elspeth, I need you to wake up now,"

She made no response.

"Elspeth!" I tried again, shaking her more firmly. I lifted an eyelid and still she remained still. This couldn't be happening! Not her too!

"Elspeth please! We _need_ you!" I cried, I was breaking down now. She was exactly the same as Rushton. How that was, I couldn't imagine, but we had to find a way to bring her round. We could not afford to lose Elspeth as well.

I flung the door open again and the sound of the soldierguard's screams once again assaulted the room, but mine were the only ears to hear.

"Roland!" I called as loudly as i could.

He hurried over, fear in his eyes. "Has Rushton . . ." he asked, but I shook my head and confusion clouded his features, "Then what?"  
I gestured to the room behind me and his eyes teared when he took in the scene, but then he shook his head, "I don't understand the problem"

"She's exactly the same," I choked

"The same as . . ."

"As Rushton. She's exactly the same as Rushton"

Roland sprang into action, checking Elspeth's eyes and pulse. "Have you tried deep-"

"Of course I haven't tried deep probing her!" I snapped, "As if I'd be able to, trying to probe Elspeth 's impossible at the best of times!"

"All right, all right, I understand"

"What do you think happened?" I asked, "You don't think . . .it couldn't be that . . . you don't think it's contagious do you?"

He shook his head briskly, attempting to mask the pain and sadness I could feel emanating from him in waves. "No, I don't think its that," he whispered hoarsely, "I think Elspeth's just found a way to follow her betrothed"

I swallowed my tears. "What do we do now?"

Roland frowned before answering, "I think we should move her."

What!? He couldn't _mean_ that! "But if she's followed him . . . it can't be right to _separate_ them . . ."

"I know," he agreed and I could hear the weariness in his voice, "but what choice do we have? We have to call a Guildmerge, to decide how to deal with this before anyone finds out. It will be bad enough when Rushton . . ." he paused, "How do you think people will react if they know we're to lose Elspeth as well?"

I hung my head in defeat, he was right.

It was harder than I could have imagined to pry Elspeth's fingers from Rushton's, she'd locked her muscles and it was near impossible to move them. When we finally pulled her away she hung completely limp, not an ounce of strength in her body.  
Roland picked her up and carried her down the hall to one of the empty chambers. It was silent in the corridor, at some point during our conversation the soldierguard's pain had been cured. The only person we passed was a novice healer, whose suspicion was cured with a simple whisper; _"She's just very tired,"_

Roland lay her down on the bed and I pulled the sheet up to her shoulders.

"I suppose I should check on Rushton again," murmured Roland after a moment. I nodded and he turned to me. "Inform the other Guildleaders – and Ceirwan too. I suppose it's lucky we had Alad send someone to fetch Garth, Lud knows we've never needed a Guildmerge as desperately as now . . ." he trailed off as he exited the room.

I nodded, though I knew he couldn't see me, and took one last look at Elspeth's peaceful face before I left the Healer's Hall. I was halfway to the Farseeker Wing before I allowed the tears to fall.


	5. Chapter 5: Hey! I wanted that potato!

**Hey! I wanted that potato!**

Summary: A simple story with a simple moral. Never get on Alad's bad side and never get between a girl and her potato.

* * *

Zarak leant against his hoe and wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun had reached it's zenith and beat down upon the poor lad without mercy. His stomach growled painfully. With a tristful look back at the farm house in the distance, he returned to his work. Surely lunch – and shade - must be _soon._

But the bell didn't ring, and he didn't see anyone leave to eat – not that he would have, the boy had been sent to plow this field alone as a punishment for time wasting with Lina. There wasn't another being in sight, all either working in the fields across the farm, or sensible enough to have sought out shade. He wondered somewhat bitterly why Lina hadn't been sent off to work on her own.

The heat ate away at the boy, making him grow crankier and crankier until his movements became less like plowing and more like stabbing at the ground. He thrust the tool hard into the earth, again and again, taking out his annoyance on the ground beneath his feet. But then the ground fought back.

He hit something hard with a loud _clang_ and flinched as the shockwave reverberated painfully up his arms. Curiosity overtook annoyance and he dropped to his knees, digging away at the soil around the place where he had stabbed. Slowly he uncovered a large square of metal with a pole sticking out of it. Yellow and black paint was peeling from one side and Zarak marvled that the beforetimers had been able to devise a paint that would last so long in such conditions.

Picking up the strange object, he hurried back across the fields to the farm house, figuring that this was a good enough excuse to return before the bell. But when he got there he was disgusted to discover that the others were alread there and had started without him.

"Ahhh, Zarak, we were wondering when you'd show up" said Alad from a seat by the door. "Didn't you hear the bell?"

"Evidently not" the boy answered, glaring, but to his frustration the guildmaster just sat back and laughed. Hungry and annoyed, he stomped up to the table where Katlyn was serving lunch, grabbing a spud off Lina's plate on the way. It was largely her fault after all.

"Hey! I wanted that potato!" she shouted after him.

"What? This one in particular?" he asked holding it up

"Yeah. That one. I was looking forward to it."

"_WHY?"_

Her eyes went all dreamy, "Because it had just the right amount of crispyness on the top and just the right amount of vegetable oil soaked into the bottom and…"

Deciding that girls were weird, he popped the potato into his mouth and continued towards the table, ignoring Lina's cry of protest.

Katlyn frowned disaprovingly, but handed him his plate regardless, figuring that the sooner she filled the boys stomach the sooner he start acting like a decent human being again.

"What's that you've got there lad?" asked Reuvan from where he sat with Bruna, the two of them having come up to help with the plowing as a way of taking a break from the rebuilding after the rebellion.

Zarak looked up in surprise, then at his left arm that was still carrying the object. "What? This?" he asked, "No idea, I found it in the field"

Reuvan came over and lifted it out of the boy's hand. His burden lifted, Zarak immediately began stuffing food into his mouth while the sailor examined his find.

"It looks rather a lot like something I saw in one of the books Pavo brought out of the Library during that first trip to aborium. The beforetimers called it a rowsine, I think"

"Oh Lud no!" exclaimed Alad, finally paying attention, "The last thing I need is Garth and his cursed tecknoguilders turning my fields into an archaelogical dig!"

"Then don't let him" said Bruna haughtilly. "I don't see why you should". Even calm and dressed in land attire, the girl could not shake her farouche air.

Alad gave her a look, "My dear Bruna, you do not know Garth" grumbling, he rounded quickly on Zarak, "Why exactly couldn't you have just done that job and not messed around stumbling onto artefacts?" he demanded. "Ward or not Zarak, you've got a lot to –"

Zarak opened his mouth angrily to defended himself, but a piece of carrott went down the wrong way, and he beant over coughing instead.

"Serves you right." said Lina unsympathetically, but pounded him on the back anyway. His face was prettier when it was breathing.

"It's not my fault" complained Zarak, spluttering around the carrott, "You're the one that sent me into that stupid field! Besides, I don't see why it's a problem, you've been complaining for weeks that Garth hasn't sent enough of his guild. Just tell him he's got until the sowing to find something. The tecknoguilders come, they dig, they put the soil back, the soil is ready for planting." The length of the speech left him breathless, but Lina hugged him. Choking, it seemed, was a good way to get back into the girl's good books and he made a note of it for future reference.

"That," Alad began angrily, but then his face changed to reflect thoughtfulness, "is a brilliant idea" he finished, stunned. He looked back to the boy in front of him, "Zarak, I want you to farseek the tecknoguild cave's as soon as you're done with lunch and get Garth down here for a meeting. After that you can return to your guildmistress, you've been a great help"

"_WHAT?"_ Lina instantly dropped her arm from Zarak's back in order to storm after her Guildmaster, how could the man possibly get away with being so unfair?

Zarak shrugged and, taking advantaged of her distraction, stole yet another potato from her plate. As much as he might like this one, the fact remained, girls were weird.


	6. Chapter 6: Escape from the cells

**Escape from the cells  
**

Summary: A strange clue gives Kally the clue he needs to escape. Level 3 of the comp.

* * *

Kally slept fitfully, his dreams a turbid mixture of nonsense, pervaded by an ever present _clank, clank, clank._  
A new image resolved out of the mayhem, he saw a brightly lit room, harshly white and clean. A middle aged woman sat a desk with **a small tree, stunted as if with age, yet tiny**. The clanking slowly morphed into the sound of the scissors as she _snip, snip, snipped_ carefully away at the fresh buds on the tree.  
Kally rolled uncomfortably, it was difficult to sleep with the noise and the chain that bit into his wrist. At least it was looser than the last one.  
"I can't crack the encryption Hannah" announced a voice, Kally jumped inside his dream for, aside from the woman, the room was empty.  
The woman was not concerned, continuing to tend to the tree, _snip, snip, snip…_  
"We need that information," was all she stated, her expression decidedly calm.  
"I've already told you it can't be done!"  
The snipping of the scissors grew louder, till it sounded more like clanking again. Kally felt the dream beginning to dissolve and struggle to hold on to it, not wishing to wake.  
"Sandra," said the woman, "While endearing, your _monomania_ is not helpful. Why is it that you continue to assume that just because something can't be cracked, the problem can't be solved? If you can't break the code, find another way…."

~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~

~CLANK!~

Kally was thrust into wakefulness as a particularly loud collision rang around the room.  
"Have you tried using a _pickaxe?"_ demanded Analivia in a whisper, glaring at where Gwynedd sat with his chisel, trying to break apart the chains that bound Dragon's wrists.  
"If you have a better plan" Gwynedd growled, "I'd be happy to hear it."  
Analivia was about to reply, but was scared swiftly into silence by a sound which caused every member of their party to flinch. The slow_ thud, thud, thud_ of footsteps.  
"Somebody heard us" squeaked Dragon "Quickly, hide the chisel!"  
"And look miserable" added Analivia as Gwynedd stode the chisel in the waist of his pants.  
But Kally wasn't listening. As if it were an echo, he heard the words of dream again.

_"If you can't break it, find another way…"_

"No!" he said, "take the chisel out again and start trying again, as loudly as you can! Analivia, get in the corner behind where the gate swings open and try not to be noticed." The others stared at him as if he were mad, which he admitted he probably was, but nevertheless he continued,  
"Trust me!" he said.  
While the others got into position, Kally slumped against the back corner of the cell and tried to look inconspicuous. This was going to be the hardest coercive task of his life.

The gate swung open with a noisy _creak_. The guard was demon banded, but Kally wasn't worried, he'd already known that, what he'd forgotten to anticipate was the guard's fury.  
Attempting to ignore the the sound of the bashing that Gwynedd was receiving, he focused all of his attention on the loop of the guard's pants which held the keys. It was old and frayed already and he worked away at it, breaking and loosening the fibres. Just as the guard was turning to leave, Gwynedd a bloody mess, the loop snapped and the keys fell.  
As they hit the ground, Dragon shook her chains loudly to cover the sound and Analivia snatched them up before the guard could see. He glared suspiciously round the room as he shut the cell door, but finding nothing untoward, marched heavily back up the corridor. The lock snapped shut automatically.

Kally's vision blurred, there was no harder form of coercion than trying to influence a physical object. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Dragon hurriedly tearing bits of cloth from her skirt.

Kally was in a room much like the last one, all white and harsh bright lights. A woman with sleek dark hair sat before a screen like the ones in the technoguild caves. As he watched, words appeared like magic.

Key accepted.  
Decrypting…

They flashed there, bright and red and Kally tried to understand there meaning, but someone was shaking him awake.

Kally woke to find Dragon staring worriedly into his face. "Are you all right?" she asked.  
"Yeah, just exhausted" he said, staring blearily round the room. Gwynedd's face was bandaged, one I was puffy and swollen and it looked as if his nose had been broken. A pang of guilt twisted in Kally's gut.

Analivia knelt at his feet, the _erudite_ young woman was tying strips of cloth around them.  
"It will soften our footsteps when we escape" she explained.  
"When are we escaping?" Kally asked, he didn't think Gwynedd would be able to go far as he was.  
"As soon as the next watch has passes us into the next cooridoor" answered Dragon, "We won't have long till the guard misses his keys. It's now or never"  
"Don't you worry about me," added Gwynedd gruffly, "I can take care of myself".

Kally struggled to his feet as Dragon helped the older man to stand. Analivia went ahead with keys, reaching her slender arm through the gaps in the door and opening the lock. They hurried quickly through the corridors, trying not to look into the cells they passed, knowing that they couldn't free their friends as well as themselves. At least not tonight.  
"I think this is the way out" whispered Analivia uncertainly when they reached the top of a flight of stairs. They began to walk down the corridor ahead but ducked quickly into an alcove when they heard voices nearby.

But no one came. There were no footsteps, no cry of discovery, just a soft muttering coming from a door across the hall.

Shaking off Gwynedd's restraining hand, Analivia crept out of the alcove. With that _arcane_ way she had of not being seen or heard, she approached the door. Kally found it difficult to look at her.

It seemed an age before Analivia crept back towards them, though in truth it was only minutes. Her expression was stunned, wordlessly she grabbed Dragon and Gwynedd's hands and pulled them down the hallway, Kally hurrying after.  
They were silent for the rest of their trip through the catacombs, Analivia guiding them. Nobody spoke until finally, _finally_ they were outside with the fresh sea breeze on their faces, dodging from shadow to shadow.  
"What did you see?" asked Dragon when they were safely hidden in a crawl space under a pier.

"Salamander." Replied Analivia, her voice soft and breathless, "Without the mask and…and…" she took a deep breath, "and I think I've seen her before."


End file.
